A Chat's Shadow
by Kinsutenekochan
Summary: Adrien Agreste was only eight the day he died. And no one ever saw him now, but that was probably because he was a ghost. Being a ghost was actually pretty boring, until the day a cute girl with a sketchbook and pigtails crashed into his 'afterlife'. Rated for some angst and romance and Major Character Death!
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, I fully blame markhamilz for this one! He found this song called Ghost Story by Coldplay that PERFECTLY fits this Miraculous Ladybug AU I stumbled over on tumblr today. I was going be good and finish my next chapter for A Father's Duty, but nooooo, I had to imagine an AMV to that song for this AU and I get ambushed by plotbunnies! T_T Anyway, I credit both eliasraine and imagine-miraculousladybug from tumblr for the Ghost AU Idea that sparked this! Enjoy, my first ever Miraculous Ladybug FanFiction!**

 **(Be nice, please? And just FYI, I am american, so I apologize if I use the wrong terms for things! It is hard to research stuff with those cursed bunnies dancing around your head. ^_^;)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to Miraculous Ladybug or any of the characters! I am just borrowing them for a little while to play with.**

 **P.S: This will also be (hopefully) posted on A03, same username as here. :D**

A Chat's Shadow Part 1

Adrien Agreste was only eight the day he died. He couldn't remember much of the accident, just a lot of noise, a flash of light and _pain_ , his mother _screaming_ at him not to leave her. And he did try, but his poor broken body couldn't hold out.

He died in seconds.

He doesn't remember dying at all, but he was sure that he was dead.

Because the next thing he knew, he was _freaking_ _floating_ in the air above his poor Mother, watching as she frantically fought the paramedics that were trying to take his body away from her. He winced as they stabbed in the needle that finally calmed her down, and he had to look away as they began cutting his father out of the tangled mess that was left of the car.

It was different being a ghost. He was really sad that he couldn't do as his mother asked, but he couldn't exactly cry. Those first few months were very hard and confusing and he doesn't like to remember them.

One odd thing he did like learning during that time was that he was different from the usual ghost stories he vaguely remembered reading about.

He could get older. Every year, he grew up a little, just like he would if he was still alive.

The years past and he discovered other things. He could pass through almost all solid objects, but he couldn't enter someone home. Anywhere public was free game, but houses and apartments were somehow off limits.

Except the house he grew up in, but he didn't like to go there a lot. His Mother had changed a lot the day he died. And his Father, his Father was _crippled_ , completely unable to walk without a cane. He could still write and draw, so his business was still intact, but he was not the same man Adrien remembered.

The boy sighed, slumping over his folded legs as he floated through the Library. With a great deal of effort, he could make books fall off the shelves and read them, but it was exhausting.

Which made no sense because he didn't have a body, but it was what it was. Most of the time he tried to read or watch stuff over someone's shoulder but if he crowded a person too much, they would get too cold and leave. That much of the ghost stories were true. But he was bored today. Wondering around unable to talk to anyone or even _feel_ anything got old really fast.

He passed through the Library doors, absently waving at Nino as he went by, one of the few people he made an effort to remember, although he wasn't sure why. Nino came to the library about once a week to look up the newest music updates. He could usually stand Adrien's invisible influence the longest of anyone. Of course, Nino never waved back.

Shrugging like usual, Adrien drifted towards the street, idly watching traffic. Movement near the corner caught his eye and he turned to see a young woman walking and scribbling furiously in a sketchbook. Her shoulder-length blue/black hair was tied back in two pigtails at her neck, and her wide shocking blue eyes had a slight oriental flare to them. She wore pink capris, a light pink shirt with darker pink flowers on the front and a cute black jacket.

She starts across the street without looking, still buried in her sketchbook. And that was when he saw the truck. He wasn't sure if they were speeding, but they looked like they were going fast. And the girl was right in the way.

"WATCH OUT!" He screamed out of pure habit and to his shock and surprise, she _jumped_ , almost like she _heard_ _Him_! She looked around frantically but still didn't get out of the way in time. He flinched as she flew back, crashing to the ground with a jarring thud. For the first time in years, he felt confused and curious. She had reacted to his warning, he was sure of it. He hovered over her still body, wringing his hands worriedly as the truck driver franticly dialed a number on his pnone, finding himself hoping for the first time since he died.

Maybe she could be the one to change things. He could only cling to hope as an ambulance roared onto the scene.

 **Ok, falling asleep! So I am going to end this here, let me know what you think!**

 **And** ** _yes,_** **I am going to update A Father's Duty soon, please be patient with me, Im sorry!**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Lord help me, I wrote more! I have two other fics I am supposed to be working on! T_T This just won't leave me alone, the Plotbunnies have me cornered. I was rereading the ending of the first part and I knew I was tired, but maaaan that was terrible writing. I am glad so many people like it, but I had a lot more I wanted to do with the scene where they 'meet' for the first time. So this one will start out with the new version, kinda like a flashback. So if it seems like I am repeating myself a little, thats why. ^_^;_**

 ** _Also, this will definitely be a multi-part fic, but not a crazy long one I think. At least five chapters but not much more than that. And I am a die-hard romantic, so I am going to try to make it a happy ending but this AU will make that hard to pull off. But enough of my rambling, Enjoy!_**

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or any of the characters related to it. I am just borrowing them to play with._**

 ** _(Once again I credit eliasraine and imagine-miraculousladybug for the Ghost AU behind this!)_**

A Chat's Shadow part 2

 _Adrien still isn't sure why she caught his eye, but he drifted closer curiously. Her tongue poked out of the side of her mouth cutely as she scribbled franticly, still not watching where she was going. He tried to peek over her shoulder and only caught a glimpse of an impressive design for a derby hat before he saw the truck heading right towards her._

 _"WATCH OUT!" He screamed instinctively, trying to push her out of the way but his hands passed right through her. But to his shock and surprise, she_ jumped _, almost like she had actually_ heard _him! She looked over her shoulder frantically, and her eyes went wide with terror when she saw the truck. He jumped at her, passing right through her again as she tried to jump back, but it was too late. The corner of the truck caught her side, sending her crashing to the ground with a jarring thud._

 _He cursed under his breath, rushing over to her prone form as the truck screeched to a halt and the driver tumbled out, his face white with horror. Adrien bit his lip as he tried to see if she was alright and cursed again when his hands passed right through her. Crouching down next to her, he bent his head, trying to see if she was at least breathing._

 _A soft groan reached his ears caused him to go limp with relief and he sat down on the ground next to her with a sigh as the truck driver frantically dialed a number on his phone. She had reacted to his warning, he was sure of it. What that meant, he had no clue. But he was not going to leave her side any time soon._

It had been three days since he had met her, Marinette. He had learned her name when she had been checked into the hospital. Her parents had been yelling it when they rushed into the lobby. It made him happy to see that her parent's cared about her, but it also made him sad when he remembered the sorry state his own parents were in.

Speaking of her parents, here they came. He followed them through the doors, snickering at the looks the massive baker was getting as he smiled gently at the receptionist. The first day they had never left her side, sleeping in her room and everything. Adrien had hovered outside, not wanting to intrude even if they couldn't see him. Then she had woken up the next morning, and smiled at them and he had felt something squeeze in his chest. She had a beautiful smile, open, honest and loving.

Tom and Sabine, he had found out their names by following them home to make sure they made it there safely that day. The bakery that Tom managed was well known and very popular. People had been in for the rest of the night, giving them help and fruit and flowers. He had left after only an hour because he couldn't stand to be away from _her_ for that long.

Once he got back to the hospital and slipped inside, he had found her talking to her nurse. He had never been so glad that hospital's were in the gray area that he could go into. She had been laughing, her blue eyes bright with her smile. His nonexistent heart seemed to pound in his chest and he had to slip out of the room, struggling to breath even if he didn't actually need to.

He leaned against the wall, watching her parents go into her room, a smile curving his lips for the first time in _years_. A whispered conversation caught his ear and he looked up to see three doctors talking down the hall. One of them glanced over his shoulder towards Marinette's room and Adrien straitened, curious. He drifted closer, trying not to get too close and scare them off.

"How is this possible? She got hit by a massive truck! There were several witnesses!" One of the younger male doctors exclaimed in shock, and the other two hushed him quickly.

"I do not _know_ , alright? But she is perfectly fine, no signs of head injury, a couple of stitches in one eyebrow, a few slightly fractured ribs and a twisted ankle. She has to be the luckiest girl I have ever met. She can be released tomorrow. I have already told her parents." The lady Doctor stated and Adrien sighed with relief.

He drifted back to her room and peeked through the door. The nurse was gone now, along with her parents and Marinette was laying back on her bed, staring out the window with a far off look in her eyes. He drifted to the chair next to her and gingerly sat down, watching her. He was oddly nervous. He cleared his throat and she jerked upright, scanning the room uneasily.

"Um, Hi?" He croaked and promptly smacked his forehead. _I am such an idiot!_ She swallowed hard, those bright eyes still searching the room.

"I asked the Doctor, she said I did not hit my head, so why am I hearing that voice again?" She muttered, her voice shaking. He sagged in the chair, torn between relief that she actually could hear him and disappointment that she thought he was a figment of her imagination.

"Sorry, I'll leave you alone for now. Maybe we can talk later." He whispered and she jumped again, pulling her pillow over her head and muttering to herself.

"I am not insane, right, Tikki? It is perfectly normal to hear voices. Nothing strange at all." He sighed and floated back out of the room. Well, now he was sure of it. She _could_ hear him. The question was _why_? He floated up to the roof and sat down on the edge, looking up at the large moon above him. _Why her, and why now?_

Luckily enough, his got his answer the next morning. Marinette was limping her way out the door with Sabine when something exploded in the back of the hospital.

"IMAGINING my symptoms AM I?! Why don't you see how I FEEL?!" A voice shrieked and to his surprise, he heard Marinette groan in exasperation. A crowd of people rushed past and Marinette ducked to one side, getting separated from her mother instantly. Sabine called her franticly, trying to fight through the crowd before pausing with an oddly resigned look on her face. Adrien had drifted close enough in his confusion to hear her whisper "Be careful." under her breath. Even more confused, he watched as she reluctantly turned and headed for the exit, gently urging people to calm down and get outside.

He hesitated for a moment before rushing off after Marinette. It thankfully wasn't too hard to follow her trail but just as he passed through the wall into the room where she was hiding he heard her yell.

"Tikki, Spots on!" A flash of light nearly blinded him and he squinted through the glare. What he saw made his throat close up in shock. Ladybug, the superhero he had heard about for the last month, was standing in the empty room. Gaping at her, he nearly forgot to follow when she raced out of the room, not a trace of her earlier limp in her confident stride.

She skidded around the corner ahead of him and he hurried to catch up, still trying to wrap his brain around what he had seen.

"Ladybug!, so you have finally arrived! Give me your Miraculous!" He rushed through the wall and found himself in the middle of a battlefield. Ladybug stood on one side, crouched behind a piece of rubble. On the other side was an older woman dressed as a doctor with a white mask over her face. She held a doctor bag and was shooting syringes out of it at Ladybug, laughing as she dodged from one pile of rubble to another.

Ladybug finally got close enough to jump at her, and didn't see the woman swing her bag at her from the side.

"Look out!" Ladybug twisted in surprise at his voice and the bag hit her square in the face. He winced at the sound, floating forward to where she had landed.

"Sorry, I was trying to worn you." He murmured and she flinched again.

"I really don't need this right now! In my head or not, Shut Up!" He jerked back at her frustrated tone and watched as she lurched to her feet, leaping back into battle. He hovered to the side, flinching when she got hit again, and trying not to call out to her. But she was not doing well, the woman was oddly nimble for her apparent age. Ladybug barely dodged another rain of needles, skidding to a stop right next to a wall and looked up to see that she was cornered.

He lurched forward, wanting to do _something_ , when movement below him caught his eye. Despite his worry, he looked down. An older oriental man was standing in the middle of the destruction, looking up. Looking _straight at him._ He froze, stunned, as the old man smiled at him.

"Do you want to help her?" He asked softly, his quiet voice somehow echoing in his ears despite the noise of the battle. He didn't even think before he answered, too worried about Marinette to hesitate.

"Yes!" The man smiled, and Adrien had a moment of _Holy crap, he can hear me too!_ Then the man cocked his head to one side, turned slightly and threw something at him. He flinched, throwing up one arm in an pathetic attempt to block it, and time seemed to slow down. It was a silver ring, with a large face and band, clearly a male ring. It twisted through the air and he slowly lowered his arm, puzzled, before it went _inside_ him. He _felt it_ hit him.

And then, PAIN. His vision went dark as he sank like a rock to the ground, and _oh Lord, It HURTS!_ He struggled to hold back the screams that tried to tear out of his throat, so confused about why he was actually _feeling_ _pain_. For a long time he just drowned in agony.

Slowly the pain began to fade and he gasped in air, the motion purely instinctual. His breath caught as he realized he could _feel his chest move with the breath_. He opened his eyes, and nearly chocked in shock, the sensation of his throat closing strange and new.

 _He could see his hands!_ They didn't look like normal human hands, with skin and everything, but they were _visible_! He vaguely noticed that he could feel the rough cement under him, the wind ruffling his hair, and the air on his skin.

Slowly, he stood up, marveling at the sensation of movement. He stared at his arms, noticing that he wasn't quite solid, as if he was ash and smoke contained in a human shaped jar. Clenching his fists, he gasped as he _felt_ the odd claws on his fingers dig into his skin a little. He looked around for the old man and saw him nimbly jumping over some rubble into the hospital, a pleased smirk curving his lips.

"Have fun, Chat Noir." He stated as he vanished into the shadows. Adrien gaped after him for a moment before a crash behind him reminded him of why he was now like this. Spinning on his heel, a part of him geeking out over the fact that he could even _do_ that, he leapt into battle.

 ** _Ok, I am sorry I had to leave it there, but this chapter was already longer than I thought it would be and I wanted to update as soon as I could. There is still more coming, I promise, but I am finding it hard to keep up three fics at the same time. It might be more than a week before the next update, but I will do my best to get it to you as soon as possible! Let me know what you think! :)_**


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